The skull spiders are weak

[Ghidora131]

*ahem*

 

 

So, you see it in the video. When Tahu arrives on Okoto, he accidentally saves them from a skull spider attack. Seriously? the plague of the Protectors is nothing more than a bunch of cheap beetles(they don't even deserve to be called spiders).

 

And ooh, a big one! like that's going to make a difference. Why is it only the leaders have weapons? can't these villagers protect themselves? even the crudest weapons will do well against something weaker than a leaf.

 

And the skull spiders don't appear to be illustrated as intelligent enough to figure out a formidable attack. "Oh, but ambushes! oh, but secrecy!" they're too dimwitted to think of using that technique!

 

And if all the lord of the skull spiders is is just a really big version of these paperweights, then a village attack would kill it for certain!

 

 

 

There's nothing tough about skull spiders. And if one fell on your face, just flick it with your finger. It'll just fall off.

[Irrie]

Don't forget, there's a huge number of skull spiders on Okoto. The skill level of them wouldn't really matter compared to the sheer number that they could throw at the villages. 

A classic military tactic is to overwhelm the enemy with a flood of untrained soldiers. It can easily take out a small squad of highly skilled ones. 

[Ghidora131]

Still, they're not stormtroopers. They're more like Waddle Dees. They are simply a temporary annoyance more than a threat.

[AdaptingChaos]

Still, they're not stormtroopers. They're more like Waddle Dees. They are simply a temporary annoyance more than a threat.

Theres the reasoning as to why the skull spiders are "weak". They are meant to be exactly what you said they are, a temporary annoyance. Im pretty sure the bigger threat will come down later in the year or maybe next year.

[Archon~]

Here's a simple explanation: it's a toyline. Calm down.

 

Artistic license explanation: it's funny. Most of these seem to be made with large doses of cartoony humor in mind (frankly it's a relief looking at how serious Gen1 came out to be).

 

Storyline explanation: I don't think I have anything yet. There's not really much to go off of, but I suggest you think about the latter 2 a little bit more.

[Mr. Cup of Fail]

So the Skull Spider are...

Edited December 19, 2014 by ShadowWolfHount

[Toa Smoke Monster]

I don't think we've seen enough of the Skull Spiders in story to judge whether they are 'weak' or not. Its true that Tahu easily beat a couple of them 'luckily,' but if he went against a couple hundred of the Spiders by himself, then I think he would be doomed. 

 

I think we need to wait and see how the Skull Spider arc of the new story will play out. They could have a few surprises intended for us in the story to come. 

[bonesiii]

This is pretty common for swarm villains.

[MrSciFiGuy]

It follows the same helplessness that Matoran have. Its aggravating at times but its nothing major. 

[Regitnui]

Individually, they're weak creatures that happen to have a one-hit kill attack (latching onto an opponents face). Sure one or two can't do it, but start ramping up to a hundred when all you need is one to slip past your guard and clamp its legs around your skull and you're screwed. Overwhelming weight of numbers; the military strategy for those without a strategy.

[aldero]

Here's a simple explanation: it's a toyline. Calm down.

 

Artistic license explanation: it's funny. Most of these seem to be made with large doses of cartoony humor in mind (frankly it's a relief looking at how serious Gen1 came out to be).

 

Storyline explanation: I don't think I have anything yet. There's not really much to go off of, but I suggest you think about the latter 2 a little bit more.

 

Well, I kinda agree with you.

 

This new line seems to be a bit more lighthearted, and that's great. The 2001 story was too... kinda.

 

I don't mind if there's a bit of comedy in there, quite honestly. Just at the very least make the Lord of Skull Spiders a good villain.

[Pomegranate]

Strength in numbers. It only takes one for the damage to be done, when it comes to facehugging. It's only the first year, they wouldn't start off with their super powerful, scary, no hope enemies. They're like the Rahi. The Bohrok and Rahkshi of Gen 2 are still on the horizon. We don't even know what's gonna happen for the second wave, yet!

[25K Now!]

They don't need to be individually strong.

 

There's so many of them that it's not too necessary.

 

Think of it. You can kill them with ease, sure, but even if you kill hundreds, thousands, millions? They'll keep coming. So you have to keep whacking them. And whacking them. And whacking them. And whacking them. But the droves don't stop. They keep swarming after you. You start to get tired. There's so many of them that you're slowing down in your attempts to keep up. You start getting some close shaves, they get close to you and grab on to some limbs or whatnot. You tire even more. Your guard lowers. And then one of them gets lucky.

 

You're gone.

[Maphrox: Toa of Polygons]

These are a swarm villain combined with also being the first villain of the series. They exist to demonstrate that the Toa are powerful. There is essentially no other purpose to them.

 

Basically they're filler until the next wave, like the Morbuzakh.

[Mailli]

Don't forget, there's a huge number of skull spiders on Okoto. The skill level of them wouldn't really matter compared to the sheer number that they could throw at the villages. 

A classic military tactic is to overwhelm the enemy with a flood of untrained soldiers. It can easily take out a small squad of highly skilled ones. 

There was huge number of bohrok on Mata Nui, and they still planned and strategised.

Here's a simple explanation: it's a toyline. Calm down.

 

Artistic license explanation: it's funny. Most of these seem to be made with large doses of cartoony humor in mind (frankly it's a relief looking at how serious Gen1 came out to be).

 

Storyline explanation: I don't think I have anything yet. There's not really much to go off of, but I suggest you think about the latter 2 a little bit more.

Well, we're here for the storyline in "Bionicle Storyline & Theories".

 

Strength in numbers. It only takes one for the damage to be done, when it comes to facehugging. It's only the first year, they wouldn't start off with their super powerful, scary, no hope enemies. They're like the Rahi. The Bohrok and Rahkshi of Gen 2 are still on the horizon. We don't even know what's gonna happen for the second wave, yet!

Good point, I was comparing them to Bohrok because of the face attachment thingy, but you may be right.

[Krana Ja]

Army ants are pretty small and weak compared to a lot of other creatures. That doesn't stop them from posing a threat to adult humans who wander into their territory.

 

Also, the Skull Spiders do have the ability to strategize. That's why LoSS has the Golden Mask. He comes up with strategies, and the mask lets him tell the weaker Skull Spiders what to do.

[Munty]

I don't think we ever really expected the skull spiders to be strong did we? They're a swarm enemy, they don't need to possess individual strength to overrun their foes! Wasps aren't much more than an irritation but I'd love to see you go and smash up a nest full of them... Let's not forget that they probably have unlimited numbers (think starship troopers) so really the protectors can probably hold their own if the numbers don't increase. But then the numbers have/do/will increase. That's why the Toa are ariving now!

 

Also bear in mind. The Masters make incredibly short work of the skull spiders because they are Toa, not because the skull spiders are weak. They could quite easily wipe the floor with the protectors if they wanted to so of course they won't have any trouble with spiders...

[Sharnak the Bohrok Lord]

Gen 2 is in its first year. The first villains aren't going to be a major enemy. Their dangerous enough to be a threat but not the ultimate villains of the new series. Think of like a video game. On the first level do you fight the boss or toughest enemies right away? No, you start out with some lower level enemies. Then as the story progresses the enemies become more and more challenging.

 

In short, Skull spiders are koopa troopas, LoSS is Bowser, and sorry Tahu, your golden mask is in another castle.

[Jam Pot Studios]

Zerg rush, anyone?

 

I'm hoping that there'll be another wave with new villains later in the year. The Skull Spiders are alright as an introduction to Okoto and the new storyline, but so far they don't seem that threatening. Then again, the sets haven't even come out yet, so it's too early to really tell.

[bonesiii]

To some of the recent posts -- I think people may be missing that the villagers didn't have Toa to protect them until just now. Unlike G1 we don't yet know how long that was, but in both versions the enemies had to be kinda weak for the good guys to still be basically free. It's not just that Toa being strong makes them seem weak by comparison -- they have to be weak for this plot to be plausible. It would actually be a bigger problem if they were all big threats, as then we'd have an inconsistency.

 

So, comparisons to Bohrok don't work (Bohrok attacked while Toa were around), for example. Or Visorak for that matter (they attacked when Matoran were already defeated).

[N.S.M.8]

I really don't think the Skull Spiders' defeat at Tahu's hands was evidence of their being weak, only of them being overconfident.  Let me explain:

First, let's refresh our memory of the three breeds.

Blue Skull Spider:

The blue skull spiders are some tough critters. They have been known to survive incredible things. Such as a falling Onua.

These skull spiders sometimes have scorpion stingers.  They seem to be able to withstand a fight with a Toa.

Green Skull Spider:

The green skull spiders have developed x-ray vision, which enables them to find prey even in total darkness. A fact that that gives Lewa the creeps.

These skull spiders seem sneaky, preferring ambush to direct confrontation.  Their power does not help them in a direct confrontation. 

 

Silver Skull Spider:

The silver subspecies of the skull spiders is the fastest. They strike with a lightning speed that makes even Gali impressed.

These skull spiders seem to prefer hit-and-run tactics.  They will flee if they don't immediately secure victory, only to return later.  If they need to fight directly, I assume that they will try to tire out there opponent.  

Now in the video, Tahu is attacked by three green skull spiders while he is talking to the protector.  The Green Skull Spiders found Tahu immediately after he landed (probably with the help of there vision powers) and quickly realized that he was a threat,  They attacked attacked by ambush, as is in there nature, thinking to overpower him while he was distracted by the protector.  Unfortunately, Tahu was much stronger than they expected.  Their powers could not help them defeat him (as the Blue Skull Spiders' could), not could it help them escape (as the Silver Skull Spiders' could).  They were used to beings much weaker than Tahu and simply miscalculated the amount of troops that they would need to take him down.

Edited December 19, 2014 by N.S.M.8

[Munty]

The green skull spiders have developed x-ray vision, which enables them to find prey even in total darkness. A fact that that gives Lewa the creeps.

 

Is that really what it says? Since when do x-rays help you see in the dark?

Edited December 19, 2014 by Munty

[N.S.M.8]

 

The green skull spiders have developed x-ray vision, which enables them to find prey even in total darkness. A fact that that gives Lewa the creeps.

 

Is that really what it says? Since when do x-rays help you see in the dark?

 

By using X-Rays, they do not need to rely on visible light.  Of course this requires that they generate the X-rays and watch for the reflections (which isn't explicitly stated and may not be what Lego intended), but it is the best excuse I have for the power.

Edited December 20, 2014 by N.S.M.8

[Toa Borox]

 

The green skull spiders have developed x-ray vision, which enables them to find prey even in total darkness. A fact that that gives Lewa the creeps.

 

Is that really what it says? Since when do x-rays help you see in the dark?

 

Because what is darkness? Absence of light/color. X-Ray's can 'illuminate' solid objects even in total darkness.

[Munty]

An x-ray isn't part of the light spectrum, it's a form of radiation. I don't think it emits any light whatsoever... Though of course I could be wrong?

 

Why didn't they say 'they have developed NIGHT vision'?...

Edited December 20, 2014 by Munty

[Irrie]

Why didn't they say 'they have developed NIGHT vision'?...

I guess it's like the Ruru, they can see in the night and through walls & stuff.

[fishers64]

 

 

The green skull spiders have developed x-ray vision, which enables them to find prey even in total darkness. A fact that that gives Lewa the creeps.

 

Is that really what it says? Since when do x-rays help you see in the dark?

 

Because what is darkness? Absence of light/color. X-Ray's can 'illuminate' solid objects even in total darkness.

 

There's no natural light inside of my body, but an X-Ray can still see my bones. 

[Toa Of Virtues]

An x-ray isn't part of the light spectrum, it's a form of radiation. I don't think it emits any light whatsoever... Though of course I could be wrong?

 

Why didn't they say 'they have developed NIGHT vision'?...

X rays are a part of the spectrum, actually. But what is really good for night vision is infrared. Whenever some sci fi thing says X ray, I mentally replace it with infrared. Edited December 20, 2014 by TuragaOfVirtues

[Toa Borox]

 

 

 

The green skull spiders have developed x-ray vision, which enables them to find prey even in total darkness. A fact that that gives Lewa the creeps.

 

Is that really what it says? Since when do x-rays help you see in the dark?

 

Because what is darkness? Absence of light/color. X-Ray's can 'illuminate' solid objects even in total darkness.

 

There's no natural light inside of my body, but an X-Ray can still see my bones. 

 

My hand went strait through my face and into the moon.

 

Objects seen by anyone with X-ray vision appear to 'glow' to them, but not anyone else obvi.

Edited December 20, 2014 by Toa Borox

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

 

 

 

The green skull spiders have developed x-ray vision, which enables them to find prey even in total darkness. A fact that that gives Lewa the creeps.

 

Is that really what it says? Since when do x-rays help you see in the dark?

 

Because what is darkness? Absence of light/color. X-Ray's can 'illuminate' solid objects even in total darkness.

 

There's no natural light inside of my body, but an X-Ray can still see my bones. 

 

 

But can they see why (Protector) kids love the taste of cinnamon toast crunch?

 

-NotS

Edited December 20, 2014 by Nidhiki of the Shadows

[Munty]

 

 

 

The green skull spiders have developed x-ray vision, which enables them to find prey even in total darkness. A fact that that gives Lewa the creeps.

 

Is that really what it says? Since when do x-rays help you see in the dark?

 

Because what is darkness? Absence of light/color. X-Ray's can 'illuminate' solid objects even in total darkness.

 

There's no natural light inside of my body, but an X-Ray can still see my bones. 

 

 

That's not how it works though is it? The x-ray doesn't 'see' anything. It's simply a conduit being used by the machine producing said x-rays to create an image inside a computer in all sorts of complicated ways. It works in the same way a sonar does, it has no dependence on light at all (otherwise it would be impossible for it to see 'through' things because - science) It's quite possible for these skull spiders to have some form of inbuilt x-ray machine I guess (because bionicle doesn't give two hoots about real world science!) but I think the description is still pretty bad. They could have just given them nightvision OR x-ray vision OR both. Just saying that their -ray vision allows them to hunt in the dark is nonsense though. Can you imagine trying to use -ray vision to navigate through the world and accomplish simple daily tasks while the majority of your surroundings are essentially invisible to you and the rest is arranged in blurry white lumps?

 

 

 

An x-ray isn't part of the light spectrum, it's a form of radiation. I don't think it emits any light whatsoever... Though of course I could be wrong?

 

Why didn't they say 'they have developed NIGHT vision'?...

X rays are a part of the spectrum, actually. But what is really good for night vision is infrared. Whenever some sci fi thing says X ray, I mentally replace it with infrared.

 

 

Exactly, not sure why they didn't just use something like that... It's always infra-red because it doesn't affect our natural night-vision right? Even more common (in media at least) is the green night vision, not sure if that has the same benefit though...

Edited December 20, 2014 by Munty

[Toa Of Virtues]

OK, who wants a quick physics lesson?

 

Light can come in a variety of ways, and this is represented through wavelength. Even different colors have different wavelengths. For instance, blue has a shorter wavelength than red. However, there are wavelengths that our eyes can't see, like ultraviolet (which is too short) or radio waves (which is too long). "Infrared" and "X-ray" are other wavelengths on light on the spectrum. Infrared is emitted by all things with heat. The hotter something is, the more it glows in infrared. That is why infrared is used so much in heat vision and night vision. X-rays, on the other hand, must be emitted from a source and reflected back. X-rays carry so much energy, they pass through everything that isn't dense. Dense material is like a mirror for X-rays. However, since they carry so much energy, they can be harmful after a long time of exposure, and it takes a lot of energy to make them.

Edited December 20, 2014 by TuragaOfVirtues

[Specter Knight]

There's a pretty good reason why the skull spiders are weak.

 

They're meant to be weak to make the Villains who come later down the line seem like real threats.

[bonesiii]

Can you imagine trying to use -ray vision to navigate through the world and accomplish simple daily tasks while the majority of your surroundings are essentially invisible to you and the rest is arranged in blurry white lumps?

Actually, since their enemies have essentially metal bodies, x-ray vision could be highly effective for the spiders, esp. if those "essentially invisible" things are still visible, if their "brains" (equivalents?) are smart enough to enhance those images. You could see walls as translucent (not invisible), and know where enemies are to attack.

[Ikaika]

1.What if the LoSS's mask lets him enhance the strength of the smaller skull spiders. That ability plus the ability to attack in numbers could be essential in their ability to terrorize the villagers.

 

2.The protectors are likely the only ones with weapons, and thus the only ones trained in combat, making it easier for the skull spiders to attack

[Ghidora131]

In which case the protectors are the worst leaders ever, for they do not even give their citizens a way to defend themselves.

 

Also, Tahu's shied defeated these enemies. I timed the length in the video, and Tahu stopped moving before each creature hit his shield. For a creature whose body makes an awesome mask, they really are lame.

 

And the physics of X-rays is off topic, guys. The skull spiders are the wimpiest threat the Toa have ever faced. The rahi actually looked threatening and were a menace, while the spiders are a imbecilic annoyance. Even their leader, LoSS, only amounts to the difficulty of a Kane-Ra.

 

You would think a giant spider the size of your face would be a formidable opponent. But no, LEGO doesn't like that idea.

[Toa Of Virtues]

Discussing X-rays isn't off topic, as the spiders do have it, and we want to know how useful it is. Now that I think of it, X-ray vision can be used as a weapon, if you want to give your target cancer (jk of course). But either way, I think we will see the spiders look a little bit more threatening in the next video.

 

Also, it seems like the weapons the Protectors have use elemental energy, which only they have (via their masks).

[Adventurer]

As mentioned above, they seem to be shown to have strength in numbers as well as their being higher ranks/larger types of spiders. In addition to that though, it's good to start the new series with a somewhat less formidable foe IMO as it means it won't be too difficult to "up the stakes" for the next villains - an issue present to some extent in the original storyline (not really an issue IMO but it was a factor when you look at how powerful a Piraka was compared to say a Visorak or something). I actually am liking the spiders as villains - reminds me of the Rahi in 2001.

[Rahkshi Lalonde]

what about Onua's character video?

Onua, the strongest of the Toa, and he only escapes because he can reach the golden earth mask in time.

 

(reinforcing the idea skull spiders work best in numbers on the high-ground end of things.)

[Jobber]

Dang, the Skull Spider are pretty astonishing lil' buggers. I've read on the Bionicle website that the smaller Skull Spider's are a sub-species (could be talking about the scorpion ones)? I wonder how many variations there could be out there, sneaking through the darkness that is the jungles of Okoto.